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Kebla Yurt's Equipment Emporium was located within a simple, one-room store that was situated near the Upper City Cantina, within the Upper City of Taris. The store was centered around a single counter at which Yurt, the shop's Humanfemale proprietor, conducted business with her customers. Scattered about the shop were a wide variety of items, as well as a number of footlockers and other plasteel and metal containers. Also scattered along the walls were a number of computer terminals as well as droid repair and upgrade stations. When the store was closed, the room was sealed off via a large blast door.[1]

The Emporium was founded at some point prior to the siege of Taris during the Mandalorian Wars, and briefly served as a hiding spot for several Taris Holofeed employees when their offices at Highpoint were destroyed.[2] It was still doing business in the Upper City in 3956 BBY, when the Sith Empire, under Darth Malak, conquered the planet, instituted a blockade that prohibited all access to and travel from Taris, and set patrols of Sith troopers to police the Upper City. The reason for these actions, however, was kept from the populace: the Sith, at Malak's command, were searching for and attempting to capture a JediPadawan, Bastila Shan, whose abilities with battle meditation the Dark Lord coveted, after she had escaped the destruction of her vessel, the Endar Spire, above Taris. As a direct consequence, Sith forces confiscated all heavy weapons, swoops, and speeders that the Emporium had available for sale. Nonetheless, a brisk trade in weapons, armor, and computer-slicing equipment was allowed to continue; this was, however, limited due to the fact that no new stock could be imported from off-world. In addition, prices at the Emporium were as marked, with no negotiations permitted.[1]

Several days after the blockade was instituted,[4] the amnesiac former Dark Lord of the Sith, Revan, accompanied by Republic officer and fellow Endar Spire escapee Carth Onasi, visited the Emporium. The pair discussed current events with Yurt, as they were seeking information about a number of escape pods, one of which contained Shan, that had crashed into the Undercity, the lowest level of the planet's stratified world-city. Yurt confirmed that reports and rumors about downed Republic pods were circulating, and that other parties besides the Sith were interested in finding them; these included the Exchange, an interstellar crime syndicate whose operations on Taris were managed by Davik Kang, and a number of swoop gangs including the Hidden Beks and Black Vulkars. When asked about Kang and the gangs, Yurt informed the pair that conditions in the Lower City were becoming more and more dangerous due to the fighting going on between them.[1]

Yurt recognized Revan as the "Mysterious Stranger," one of the contenders who fought in the Taris dueling ring. At some point, Revan encountered an ex-Exchange member and informant, a Twi'lek by the name of Matrik, who was living in a run-down apartment in the Lower City. Matrik told Revan of his plight, describing how he had grown disillusioned with the Exchange, leaving them and turning state's evidence against the criminal syndicate; for this, Exchange boss Kang had a bounty placed on his head. After suggesting that Matrik fake his own death, Revan was told of a way to make it happen, by acquiring a permacrete detonator that could be used to destroy the apartment and make it appear as though Matrik had died in the blast. Revan then went back to the Emporium, purchased the device, and gave it to Matrik, who set it off before disappearing. Revan later collected the bounty from Zax the Hutt, who ran the Tarisian governmental bounty offices, claiming responsibility for the deed. Zax believed the ruse, stating that some of his people had witnessed the purchasing of the detonator and reported it.[1]

Some time later, Darth Malak became frustrated with the fruitless search for Shan. Knowing that the more time that passed without finding her, the more likely it was that she could escape, the Sith Lord ordered his fleet to conduct an orbital bombardment of the planet, with the intent of ridding the galaxy of Shan if he could not have her and her abilities for himself.[1] During the fusillade of turbolaser fire that followed, the surface of Taris was devastated, with few buildings left standing.[3]

The player, as Revan, is not required to enter the Equipment Emporium or interact with its proprietor, Kebla Yurt, at all, as it is not the only general-item retailer within the Taris Upper City levels of the game. However, in most instances it is convenient to do so, particularly for the information Yurt gives to an uninitiated player, the store's proximity to other areas, specifically the Upper City Cantina, and the fact that the player can sell the items that they find throughout the planet for any credits that might be needed. The canonicity of Revan's taking on Bendak Starkiller, which earns the player dark side points, is uncertain due to the canon ending of the game being the light side choice.[5] However, this article assumes total game completion, which involves the purchase of the permacrete detonator for Matrik.[6]

↑ 3.03.1The bombardment of Taris, as described and depicted within the game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, is shown to have ravaged the world's surface, all but guaranteeing that the Equipment Emporium was destroyed.

↑This assumes that Taris was placed under planetary quarantine soon after the Endar Spire was destroyed; as such, Carth describes Revan as having been "out" for three days.